Russia, Glenn Beck agree: Google fomenting actual revolutions

Vladimir Putin's Russia isn't pleased with Google's role in recent Middle East …

It's no big surprise to find out that Vladimir Putin's Russia doesn't much appreciate protests against authoritarian regimes. It's more surprising to find American TV talk show host Glenn Beck saying the same thing. And gets twice as weird when both men name Google as a potent force behind the protests currently sweeping the Middle East.

Putin's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin told the Wall Street Journal recently, "Look what they have done in Egypt, those highly placed managers of Google, what manipulations of the energy of the people took place there," referring to Google execs like Wael Ghonim of Egypt.

Beck, meanwhile, has been promoting dark theories about Google's cooperation with the US government. Last week, he told fellow Fox News host Bill O'Reilly that "there are four or five executives that are also in bed, literally—not literally—but in bed or in the office with the president and working with the White House Google, in their own words, Google, two vice presidents of Google actually helped foment revolution in Egypt, and they're proud of it."

On his own show, Beck later recommended that his viewers not use Google. "May I recommend, if you’re doing your own homework, don’t do a Google search. Seems to me that Google is pretty deeply in bed with the government. Maybe this is explaining why Google is being kicked out of all the other countries? Are they just a shill now for the United States government? Who is [Google exec] Jared Cohen? Is he private citizen or government operative? And isn’t this the second Google guy we’ve found [after Wael Ghonim]? This is the second Google executive now being exposed as an instigator of a revolution. Are you comfortable with the government partnering covertly with media organizations, search engines, and social networking so they can bring change that the Washington elites have designed?"

Who knew that Google was such a force for popular democratic revolutions—and that this was a bad thing?

It's just baffling that anyone could listen to his words and not see through the fear-mongering. To relegate the revolutions occurring in the Middle East to some conspiracy between the U.S. and Google is an outrage to those who are losing their lives over there for justice. While I do believe that the CIA certainly has folks on the ground, helping to stir it up, it doesn't change the fact that these people have been living under oppression for way too long. I very much down the executives of a search engine are the main driving force. Plus, what alternatives to Google are out there that are worth while? Not feeling Bing too much at all.

Because the only way to combat stupid is to expose its stupidity. You can't change the minds of Beck followers when it comes to the musings of Beck, but you can at least show the rest of the world why they should pay not attention to those that do follow him.

Because the only way to combat stupid is to expose its stupidity. You can't change the minds of Beck followers when it comes to the musings of Beck, but you can at least show the rest of the world why they should pay not attention to those that do follow him.

Listening to Glenn Beck is like listening to a Jerry Springer guest - an absolute waste of time. And of course Putin does not like democratic societies - because right now he is enjoying being in power. Pretty soon the crooked republicans in Wisconsin will blame google for the democratic uprising there - although in Wis the people elected those rotten representatives and that super-crooked governor - so they are getting what they asked for, a totalitarian right wing regimen.

Firstly, a lot of people will say that Glenn Beck is an idiot for saying things like this. I would disagree. He's fully aware of what he's saying, what impact it will have [on his target audience], and says it only for those reasons. He is a good example of the "any publicity is good publicity" technique. I would say he's arguably evil, depending on your views of ethics/morality, because of his willful misinformation campaign. Intentionally deceiving the public by pandering to their fears, doubts, and desires to just promote your own viewpoint is .... less than honorable IMO.

Secondly, I really dislike the way that these sensationalists avoid actually saying anything. If you pay attention to Beck or O'Reilly, you'll see that every time they make a "claim" about something like this, all of the potentially-accusatory portions are phrased as questions. In the quote above, there are nine sentences. Two are explicitly phrased as 'opinions', and six are questions. The only non-opinion non-question sentence in the entire quote is blatantly false. This is a tool that he/they use to avoid any culpability to libel/slander, because they haven't actually made any 'claims', which is, again, inherently dishonest IMO.

The sad part is my parents watch Fox regularly, and are constantly regurgitating "news". I've pretty much given up correcting them, mostly because they deny the validity of any of my sources, and are content to remain in their ignorance. They still hold the opinion that Bush [the latter] was one of [if not the] best presidents this country has ever had.

The accusation is amazing simply because of the fact that the US didn't actually want an Egyptian Revolution. Egypt was relatively stable, despite being run by a despot, and a revolution risked religious extremists rising to power. It's why the US didn't actively support the revolution. Ideally it's a great thing, people fighting for their freedom and whatnot, but the risk was too great, and if it failed, as many revolutions do, it'd anger the existing regime.

May I recommend, if you’re doing your own homework, don’t do a Google search. Seems to me that Google is pretty deeply in bed with the government. Maybe this is explaining why Google is being kicked out of all the other countries? Are they just a shill now for the United States government? Who is [Google exec] Jared Cohen? Is he private citizen or government operative? And isn’t this the second Google guy we’ve found [after Wael Ghonim]? This is the second Google executive now being exposed as an instigator of a revolution. Are you comfortable with the government partnering covertly with media organizations, search engines, and social networking so they can bring change that the Washington elites have designed?

Have to admit that he's quite good at forming statements of fact -- but not actually stating any hard facts within those statements. The last sentence (italicized) is a question that uses the previous questions as facts..and people eat this shit up, and ask for more.

I'm confused.. Does Glenn Beck support authoritarian regimes? Is he upset that Mubarak is gone? Is he a freedom hater?

I'm confused why anyone would watch his show more than once, willingly.

I only counted 3 declarative statements where he's quoted in the article (2 of them innuendo), the rest of them conspiracy theorist interrogatives.

He's asking audiences to answer questions he himself hasn't taken time to answer. How about this asshole, use your platform to bring on experts or do some actual research yourself (may I suggest Bing!) while I change the channel.

It's good to know that Fox has a plan to maintain their domination of the Information market by suggesting google is controlled by a satanic conspiracy. It's like Amway vs. Procter & Gamble, but bigger!

The accusation is amazing simply because of the fact that the US didn't actually want an Egyptian Revolution. Egypt was relatively stable, despite being run by a despot, and a revolution risked religious extremists rising to power.

... if by "religious extremists" you mean "anyone who isn't going to be utterly subservient to Israel" then yes

also there's that whole CIA/torture thing that probably wouldn't have been possible with a democratically elected government.

Because the only way to combat stupid is to expose its stupidity. You can't change the minds of Beck followers when it comes to the musings of Beck, but you can at least show the rest of the world why they should pay not attention to those that do follow him.

That and we can mock them endlessly.

Or until they develop low self-esteem and an eating disorder.

Have you seen the typical derp-whales in that demographic? Any more eating disorders and they may be able to organize a synchronous diabetic coma.

The accusation is amazing simply because of the fact that the US didn't actually want an Egyptian Revolution. Egypt was relatively stable, despite being run by a despot, and a revolution risked religious extremists rising to power. It's why the US didn't actively support the revolution. Ideally it's a great thing, people fighting for their freedom and whatnot, but the risk was too great, and if it failed, as many revolutions do, it'd anger the existing regime.

So this accusation is just all sorts of silly...

Aah, but you are forgetting that Obama is a front for the Muslim Brotherhood, who got him elected in the US through George Soros (a Jew who escaped from Nazi Germany), so they could cozy up with Google executives, who would then create an uprising in Egypt allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to gain power in Egypt and thereby install Sharia law in the US.

Because the only way to combat stupid is to expose its stupidity. You can't change the minds of Beck followers when it comes to the musings of Beck, but you can at least show the rest of the world why they should pay not attention to those that do follow him.

That and we can mock them endlessly.

Or until they develop low self-esteem and an eating disorder.

Have you seen the typical derp-whales in that demographic? Any more eating disorders and they may be able to organize a synchronous diabetic coma.

Haha! True, but I was referring to the anorexia-type eating disorders, as opposed to their current over-indulgent selves.

I can understand Russia sweating, but not sure of Mr Beck is aware, the USA we know today is the result of a Civil War? Just saying.

Or even further back.... a revolution.... oh yes those evil Egyptian bastards fighting against someone who they feel has been oppressive non-representative government.... oh wait, got that one confused is that us or them?

AND GOD FORBID our evil sites like google, facebook, and twitter give them a way to do this. I mean communications information are like as bad as.... WMD. I think we need to invade the internet, it's making WMDs@!!!!!

Seriously my reflexes are pretty on the market oriented, lower taxes side of the spectrum but the Free Speech provision should have an exception for Glenn Beck. Who has allowed idiots to speak on national television?

In the end I have a choice between a party that contains an awful lot of braindead idiots like Sarah Palin, with spokespersons like Glenn Beck, a party that loves to cut sensible spending like infrastructure and would never lay a hand on the real problems like Medicare and Medicaid because a huge part of their voters is older and would never vote for someone cutting those.

And a party that is ruled by lawyers, teachers and public unions which are the biggest leeches of this society and a party that has senators that love to say bullshit like the American people want us to make more rules, btw some of the lefty knee-jerk comments on msnbc and co. are almost as idiotic as Glenn Beck they just do not have such a high concentration of idioticity.

Seriously the sound you hear is Ronald Reagan rolling in his grave and Bill Clinton rolling in his bed.

I was working in the security office at the Meadowlands and was forced to hear Fox News for the entire time. Beck was on and for his entire show he tried to stir up fear over the conspiracy of....the food pyramid. I shit you not.

I'm confused.. Does Glenn Beck support authoritarian regimes? Is he upset that Mubarak is gone? Is he a freedom hater?

Beck is the Jerry Springer of the "News" world. Facts and truth don't matter, just saying outrageous things to get ratings. It's entertainment some people unfortunately mistake for journalism.

Quote:

The accusation is amazing simply because of the fact that the US didn't actually want an Egyptian Revolution. Egypt was relatively stable, despite being run by a despot, and a revolution risked religious extremists rising to power. It's why the US didn't actively support the revolution. Ideally it's a great thing, people fighting for their freedom and whatnot, but the risk was too great, and if it failed, as many revolutions do, it'd anger the existing regime.

We can't really win the pro/against revolution argument, if we are for one, people accuse us of meddling where we don't belong, if we are against, they accuse us of propping up whatever government is there for nefarious purposes. I think at this point the main US goal is just to not have the ME explode into chaos.

Every time there is some kind of disruption in the world, it gives the ideologues of all parts of the political spectrum an excuse to emerge from their holes. The ideologies they promote are unchanging with a random connection to the actual event. For some the ideologies are their own obsessions. For others they are just what they know their audience will pay to hear.

Every time there is some kind of disruption in the world, it gives the ideologues of all parts of the political spectrum an excuse to emerge from their holes. The ideologies they promote are unchanging with a random connection to the actual event. For some the ideologies are their own obsessions. For others they are just what they know their audience will pay to hear.

As DuggleBogey mentioned, Beck doesn't need any real controversy or news to make ridiculous statements.